Friday, April 12, 2013

Jacqui Jacoby & Miguel

Please welcome Jacqui Jacoby to the blog today! Her book With a Vengeance was a lot of fun - kick ass heroine and a twisty plot that surprises you.

***

Meet Miguel.He’s my computerized day planner and the genius behind my getting
anything done.We check in every morning
to discuss what it is I need to do for the day. Whether it is the list of daily
house chores that keeps the home running smooth, or a list of deadlines of
upcoming projects, he will know exactly where I need to be.

For me, turning to a day planner was a
necessity and not a pleasure, as I am sure it is for most people who take the
initial first step.I started using mine
back in 1997 when I was a working housewife, homeschooling my kids and I needed
a concrete method to know what I needed to do when.I have continued the practice as the kids
have grown up and gone their ways as I find there is still so much to do.

When a deadline arrives in my inbox, the first
thing I do it break it down, making sure my completion date is one week before
the actual due date. All that time with those kids taught me that you need to
be prepared for the unexpected.I enter
all these dates and projects into Miguel first thing, before I even think of
tackling the project.Then I can forget
about it until it pops up on my screen.It’s a great way to relieve the stress of something hanging over your
head.

Day planners don’t have to be fancy. A simple
notebook where you can keep track of what is due when and what you need to work
on is fine.Or they can be more
complicated with special features.They
can be paper, bound or loose leaf or they can in installed on your computer,
safe with a back up flash drive handy for those unexpected events.

Right
now I am editing a book, one I want to have submitted by my birthday.So I choose the date a week before and I
open the feature in Miguel.Then it’s a
matter of breaking it down into steps.

·First read through. Update to 2013.

·Second read through.

·Wait two weeks.

·Print Copy. Read with Fine Tooth Comb While
locked in room alone.

·Contact agent.

·Contact editor.

·Submit

Each entry is given a due date, posting to
Miguel’s page daily until it’s complete.This keeps me on track; it keeps me from falling behind.

I recommend day planners to everyone who has
goals in their lives though I know they are not for everyone.I doubt many people have as close a
relationship to any program on my computer that I do with Miguel.But I say Why Not?What have you got to lose?***WITH A
VENGEANCE

The more she wanted out, the more they dragged her back in!

Daughter to murdered CIA officers, niece to a deputy director, Jaime
Walsh has never known life outside the world of espionage. Until a high-action
case in Buenos Aires leaves her gutted. Physically, emotionally…and
professionally.

She’d planned for her long-overdue vacation to be a time to rest and
reassess. With her longtime partner Stephen not far behind, it’s a tropical
paradise away from work. A paradise where boundaries will be tested.

From their training days, Stephen Reid has watched Jaime kick ass while
performing what has become his second job—watching her back. But now his
feelings have grown.

As best friends look at each other in a new light, they like what they
see. And Jaime dreams of a new life outside “the company”.

Except someone from their past won’t be satisfied until Jaime and the
man she loves are hunted to the brink of death. Now Jaime must find the
strength to trust her heart and let go of her fear. Before she loses
everything…

Great tip for keeping organized! I do break deadlines down, but I put it all on my online calendar (I lost too many day planners...a very scary thing!) I'm so absentminded that having all my stuff on a cloud works well for me. :)

Beth: I think naming the planner gives it more personality. Meaning I am more willing to face him in the morning. It also means if I am caught talking out loud to him I can always say "It's just Miguel." =D

Elizabeth: Using a calendar works just as well. It's just a matter of having a place to write it down so you don't forget so good job there!! ;)

Alex: Nice to meet you, too Alex. I don't have an iPad so I don't know how that works but again, if you have a place to centralize your ideas, projects and deadlines, than that is all that matters. Good going. =D

Stephen: Thanks for the warm welcome! And we already know I agree with you on how important day planners are!

Teresa: I'm glad you liked the one week rule. I learned that while I was at university and carried it forward to when I was a stay at home mom writing. With all those kids around you never knew what was going to jump up and interrupt a perfectly planned schedule. ;)

LD: LOL ... can't say Miguel has ever literally slapped me up side the head but he certainly has gotten his point of "Do It Now" across more than once. Good luck!

I'm big on making my due date a week ahead. Learned that in the corporate world. I use a big flat month at a glance calendar that sits on my file cabinet behind my desk. Everything goes on it, and I make a daily to-do list from there. Every once in a while I forget to mark something on the calendar and things get scary!

I have never named my day planner- but I love the idea of doing that! I like to map out and plan things as much as I can because it helps me to feel less overwhelmed by projects. I always need to refer to my calendar!

Never tried a computerized day planner. I probably should. Need to do something about my disorganized days. I've owned many book form day planners. They always seem to end up mostly empty at the end of the year.

Hi Jemi and JacquiSince our cell phones are with us all the time, and ideas hit randomly and at odd times and in odd places, I tend to pop lots of things, from blog posts, plot ideas, books TBR.... into a draft on my cell phone. From there, the ideas can be transferred to the appropriate location/ notebook/ blog draft post etc.Love the title With A Vengeance...

You are right Michelle, my cell phone is rarely further than four feet from my person. Never thought to use it to store ideas. I always think real hard to remember them until I can get to the computer. Will have to try your idea!